International Relations Commons^™

The Risks Of Outsourcing Security: Foreign Security Forces In United States National Security Policy, Eric Rittinger

Political Science - Dissertations

This study combines insights from international relations, diplomatic history, and civil-military relations to improve our understanding of the tenuous arrangement between the United States and its foreign military proxies. For over a century, the U.S. has armed and trained these proxies to assume responsibilities that its own military might otherwise have to bear. But throughout that time, critics have doubted whether the U.S. could or should delegate sensitive security responsibilities to "dubious" foreign soldiers. Such doubt highlights an international analog to the principal-agent problem normally associated with domestic civil-military relations. I examine why this international principal-agent problem arose, how it …

Foundations Of Euroskepticism In The United Kingdom: Declining Support For The European Union, Kayla Walsh

Honors Capstone Projects - All

I discuss two questions pertaining to the relationship of the United Kingdom and Europe: why has support always been lower in the United Kingdom for Europe than other member states and why is support for Europe in decline?

To show the low support as well as the decline in support, I look at two referendums in the UK on membership, one in 1975 and another in 2011 that show two end points for how low support has fallen. I then discuss the history of the United Kingdom and her relationship with the European institutions to lay the foundation of the …

Collaborating To Build Futures The Role Of Non-Governmental Organizations In Creating Education Opportunities For Migrant Workers’ Children In China, Emerson A. Gale

Honors Capstone Projects - All

This project examines how informal and legal relationships between the Chinese government, migrant communities, and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) are useful for educating migrant workers’ children. Market reforms have increased internal migration of Chinese families and have sparked a growth in non-profit NGOs which assist under-privileged migrant youth. Contemporary Chinese urban education literature notes legal and financial obstacles which prevent millions of migrant students from being entitled to the same education opportunities as their non-migrant peers. I note that creating equitable schooling for migrant youth is highly important for the political, economic, and social health of the Chinese state. By drawing …

Iran’S Soft Power Borne Of Necessity And Complexity Of Its Multi-Dimensional Audience, Hiva Feizi, Babak Talebi

Exchange: The Journal of Public Diplomacy

Even measured against the Middle East's historically tumultuous dynamics, the dramatic political transformations witnessed in 2011 will shape global affairs for decades to come. The collapse of the ruling power structures in Tunisia, Egypt, Libya, and Yemen, as a result of people's unprecedented street protests and the ongoing protests in Syria and Bahrain, were all unexpected events with global ramifications. In the midst of this turmoil with new national and international players and evolving political structures, Iran has attempted to use its soft power to exploit new opportunities and advance its narrow interests. The unpredictable outcome of these changes, coupled …

Factors Affecting The U.S. International Image: The Potential For Public Diplomacy In The Short- And Long-Term, Frank L. Rusciano

Exchange: The Journal of Public Diplomacy

This paper studies short-term and long-term factors that affected the image of the United States between the years 2000 and 2010. It begins by showing how the election of George W. Bush, the Iraq War, and the election of Barack Obama affected the United States' image in several nations. It then uses data from the Pew 2004 Global Survey to examine longer-term factors that influenced the U.S.'s international image. Using individual- and national- level regression analyses, it discovers several factors that predict how positive ratings of the United States were on an international level. The paper then discusses how the …

Legitimating Jewish Identity Amidst Chaos: Zionist Public Diplomacy, Rudy Stoler

Exchange: The Journal of Public Diplomacy

How do global contests impact the conduct of public diplomacy? This paper, taking Zionist public diplomacy as a case-study in response to the Israel-as-occupier image, proposes that when critical events shock the Jewish world by striking negatively at the legitimacy of Jewish identity-the right to believe and act as a Jew in a non-Jewish world-they stimulate a public diplomacy backlash. This happened after the Six-Day War of 1967, during the Second Intifada of the early 2000s, and most recently in the lead-up to the unilateral Palestinian statehood bid in 2011. These events provided the motivation for the mutually supportive activities …

Illusions Of Unity: The Paradox Between Mega-Sporting Events And Nation Building, Terrance Carroll

Exchange: The Journal of Public Diplomacy

This article presents an investigation into the use of "nation building" rhetoric as a motive to host mega- sporting events. Previous literature regarding mega-events presents the potential for such events to be used for uniting a nation. Moreover, nation building has been conceived in public relations research as consisting of two main components; national identity and national unity, both of which can be tied to image crafting. However, examining the 2010 World Cup in South Africa and the planning for the 2014 World Cup in Brazil demonstrates a paradox that exists between the concept of nation building and the actual …

Vol. 6 No. 1, Moynihan European Research Centers, Winter 2012, Moynihan European Research Centers

Newsletters from Moynihan European Research Centers

German Consul General discusses the Euro crisis -- Panel at the CNYCSS conference -- Global Europe -- Graduate student EU simulation -- Atlantis transatlantic degree program -- Certificate of Advanced Study

The Obama Effect In The Arab World, Ryan J. Suto

Exchange: The Journal of Public Diplomacy

This paper tests the Obama Effect hypothesis with respect to the Arab world. The paper first presents popular uses of the term and then discusses the thin scholarly literature on the topic. For quantitative data, the paper uses longitudinal data from the Annual Arab Public Opinion Poll from 2004 to 2011, with supplemental data from the Pew Research Center. Furthermore, the paper analyzed data on the Arab Spring in the context of a possible Obama Effect and policy implications for the future of U.S. foreign policy. The paper found insufficient support for the hypothesis due to a lack of theoretical …

Medvedev Vs. Putin In Kremlin-Sponsored Advertorials In The U.S. And India, Evhenia Viatchaninova

Exchange: The Journal of Public Diplomacy

This essay explores the image making of Vladimir Putin vs. Dmitri Medvedev in the Kremlin-sponsored advertorials the "Russia Now" and the "Russia India Report" circulated as free supplements to The Washington Post, and The Times of India, India, in 2011. Advertorial content mentioning each politician was analyzed using basic qualitative and quantitative techniques, and several image making messages highlighting Putin's vs. Medvedev's leadership were deduced. Both advertorials served as a platform for mediated public diplomacy aimed at influencing foreign publics' perceptions of Russia's leadership in the wake of a major presidential election.

The New Public Diplomacy: The Winning Move In Revolutions, Shannon Zimmerman

Exchange: The Journal of Public Diplomacy

The countries of the Arab Spring have taken differing approaches and have experienced conflicting outcomes. Egyptian and Tunisian protestors utilized public diplomacy as a political weapon while other states failed to realize its potential. In particular, social media were used to communicate with local actors, the military, and the international community, allowing protesters to disseminate their messages of non-violence. As a result, the revolutionary movement was not alienating to the citizenry or to the security forces. This paper will explore the use of public diplomacy by nonviolent protesters to 'win' the security forces and prevent their uprising from descending into …

Sports Diplomacy In A Conflict Environment: The Case For Continued Efforts In Afghanistan, Ryan Robertson

Exchange: The Journal of Public Diplomacy

Over thirty years of war and centuries of tribal and ethnic marginalization and centralization have left Afghanistan a nation both war-torn and in search of an identity. During the ten years of Operation Enduring Freedom, Coalition Forces and the Afghan government have tried to find ways to keep the nation's immense youth population away from insurgent influence. To date, the most effective method appears to be the implementation of sports diplomacy initiatives targeted at both the youth and female populations. With these government-run programs, Afghan youths and women are being offered an alternative to violence and respite from continued conflict. …

Contests As A Tool Of Public Diplomacy: The “India Is…” Global Video Contest, Navdeep Suri

Exchange: The Journal of Public Diplomacy

There is a growing recognition amongst public diplomacy practitioners for the need to reach young people. In large parts of the developing world - in Africa, in South and Southeast Asia, in the Caribbean and elsewhere - persons below the age of thirty-five constitute approximately seventy percent of the population. Among them, the educated, urbanized youth are growing up in an era in which connectivity and information on the go are taken for granted. India or Indonesia, Nigeria or Nicaragua, the phenomenon is rapidly gathering momentum.

How do we engage with this new generation? How do we encourage them to …

From Stadiums To Shuttle Diplomacy: Qatar’S Emergence As A Regional Diplomatic Power, Kedar Pavgi, Nakul Kadaba

Exchange: The Journal of Public Diplomacy

During the chaos of the Arab Spring, Western diplomacy was facilitated through the State of Qatar. The small country's rise into the apex of international relations did not occur immediately after the first sparks of the revolution. Rather, Qatar's leadership within the Middle East resulted from years of effort put in by their leaders into devising a foreign policy that emphasized building relationships and cooperation with Western countries and their Arab counterparts. Qatar's leaders specifically focused their efforts on enhancing their reputation within international sporting forums, and the business that resulted from it. Major athletic events like the Asian Games …

Mexico & Venezuela: Losing The Soft Power Sweepstakes At The Polls, Rick Rockwell

Exchange: The Journal of Public Diplomacy

This research article compares how the public images of Venezuela and Mexico have been shaped by the presidential election cycle of 2012 in each country. The results show that political leaders in both countries seem much more concerned about domestic issues rather than projecting a more positive public diplomacy image. The paper focuses on the history and political culture of both countries, which inevitably frames how both dealt with negative international impressions resulting from the elections. Although Venezuela has had many more demonstrations of national plebiscites and elections than any other Latin American country during the era of President Hugo …

The Other War Next Door: Violent Crime In Central America And The U.S. Response, Ross Albert

Exchange: The Journal of Public Diplomacy

One of the defining characteristics of international politics and public diplomacy in the 21st century is the rapid growth of non-state actors. These non-state entities transcend borders and range from multinational corporations to non-governmental organizations and beyond. Transnational criminal organizations - a threatening breed of non- state actors - are increasingly common in today's international landscape. Their presence is especially forceful and troublesome within and among the small states of Central America. These organizations are interested in the pursuit of wealth and violence as a means to achieve rather than an end in itself. This paper seeks to explore transnational …

Our Wavin’ Flag: U.S. Public Diplomacy Outreach, Sharon Hudson-Dean

Exchange: The Journal of Public Diplomacy

In March 2012, U.S. President Barack Obama, an avid sports fan, sat down to talk with sports writer Bill Simmons.1 He explained why competition on the field connects radically different people to each other, "People - for all our differencespolitically,regionally,economically-mostfolksunderstandsports.Probablybecauseit'soneofthe few places where it's a true meritocracy. There's not a lot of BS. Ultimately, who's winning, who's losing, who's performing, who's not - it's all laid out there."

In many ways, sports is a perfect unifier. A fan need not be literate, educated, well-traveled, or wealthy to be personally engaged in the fate of a team or the outcome of …